For a ship this size, embarkation and disembarkation were magically smooth. There was a little bit of a queue to be expected, I uploaded my sea pass photo in advance, not sure that made any difference but why not get it done online if you can? That also goes for making reservations for dining and entertainment ahead of boarding. Can't stress that enough. You can always make changes onboard like wait list your seating for dinner or shows for a different time or place, but at least start with something. It seemed our reservations were changed or eliminated a couple times - once when the ship automatically rescheduled a cancelled show at the aqua theatre. Using the Royal IQ app (onboard) it appeared our dinner reservations were cancelled as a result of the show time change, but when I called the restaurant to inquire they still had our reservations on hold. You can't always trust the app. But as an example of the Oasis Class compared to smaller ships, making reservations is something you'll need to do if you want to experience as much as you can with as little waiting as possible. I saw many lines of people waiting for shows and dinner. In every case those lines were for walk-ups without reservations. I don't recall waiting in any lines for shows or dinner. I'm not sure I love pre-planning so much and making so many reservations for things but it was great to have so many things to do, so...?

Regarding shows and dinner...the shows were the best I've seen on any ship, ever. The venues helped make that happen as much as the talent. Obviously you wouldn't have a water show without a ship that has that type of theatre. The 1886 ice show and tech-visual effects, and similarly the Fine Line was amazing. WOW+ I was surprised how much I enjoyed Columbus The Musical. Really creative and well done with set pieces that moved along with a projection screen for really cool effects. And so thankful to have had reservations in most cases, arriving before they opened the floodgates to a long standby line of guests waiting to attend. We ate at the MDR once for lunch and twice for dinner. We had My Time Dining so never the same wait staff. We just happened to eat on all three levels, Silk, The Grande, and The American Icon. The only difference is the decor. My Time Dining does take a little away from the experience, trading convenience and flexibility for more personalized service and familiarity. The servers were extremely busy but brought everything we asked for. However I missed that friendly, genuine smile and ultra-attentive service. Remembering other ships when I'd ask about which item to get and they'd surprise me with both? Don't have room for dessert - you got one anyway. That didn't happen here. A second lobster tail? Maybe if you asked. Speaking with a couple returning to their rooms after dinner who identified as Diamond+, they said this was the first time the server wouldn't bring them surf & turf, i.e.: beef with the lobster tail, their server explaining that they could have the beef the following night. And maybe this is getting too nitty but it reminds me of when I asked about a veggie burger patty at the Windjammer once at lunch. They said I could get one downstairs at Mini Bites. So I did, and I waited in line down there and asked if they would make one. And they did, and I brought the patty on a plate back up to the Windjammer to make a burger to eat with the rest of my family, but I just believe that on a smaller ship the kitchen might have offered to get one for me. All in all, I got a veggie patty and it was awesome. I didn't really mind going downstairs. Did they WOW me? I guess only in the sense that they had veggie burger patties off menu that I was able to get. I really appreciated that accommodation.

The bartenders were BUSY. No doubt the drink package is a bar staff grinder. Most of the people ordering drinks seemed to have the package and the bar staff could barely keep up - but they did and bravo to them. But honestly I bet the premium bev package is a bartender's nightmare. It provides little opportunity to WOW your customers, virtually no opportunity for additional gratuity, and no economic pressure to control customer volume. I had the package and loved not thinking about what I was spending. But I see that my pleasure comes at a price, not just to the bartenders but to me as a customer lacking that personal interaction with someone that I might like to know more about from a country far away. Frankly in this environment I was just as satisfied ordering drinks from the Bionic Bar. But the robots don't ask you how the drink tastes, or if you want to try something new, or how your day is going...and the human bartenders really don't have time for that either. I tried to be the most patient and considerate customer at the bars - waiting to be recognized in turn, and giving my decisive drink order without the need for consultation or delay. I received great service if you're judging that on the simple question of if you received your drink without a terribly long wait, prepared as requested. But pretty much no one had time for chit chat and that was a difference I recognized on the Oasis class. Read more